MIAMI—Whether you've been to all five previous editions of Art Basel Miami Beach or are making your premier pilgrimage to the art world’s winter mecca this year, the abundance of fairs (23 satellites and counting!) will surely try even the hardiest veteran’s eyes, mind, and soles. No matter how much great art there is to absorb, at a certain point you'll need to refuel—unwind, dine, and imbibe. Here are some suggestions for where to go in South Beach.

Lincoln Road
ABMB’s home at the Convention Center is conveniently located just a couple of blocks north of Lincoln Road, a pedestrian thoroughfare packed with shops and restaurants that spill onto the walkways and provide ample opportunities for observing the South Beach culture in all its fleshy glory, complete with rollerbladers, street performers, and courting canines. Check out the local talent in the artists’ studios and gallery—featuring “Miami Contemporary Artists: Creating a Scene”—at the nonprofit Art Center–South Florida (800 and 924 Lincoln Road, 305-674-8278), open until 11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Dining options in this area include: fresh and flavorful sushi, curries, and pad thai at Sushi Siam (647 Lincoln Road, 305-672-7112); mean margaritas and moles, both the traditional bittersweet-and-spicy poblano chocolate and a verde version at Rancho Grande (1626 Pennsylvania Avenue just off Lincoln, 305-673-0480); Italian-style salads and inventive thin-crust pizzas at affordable prices at Spris (731 Lincoln Road, 305-673-2020); and Mediterranean spreads, kebabs, soups, and wraps at Pasha’s (900 Lincoln, 305-673-3919), the best no-fuss deal around.

Remember, nearly all of the restaurants on South Beach add an 18 percent gratuity to all checks. This measure was introduced to protect waiters against European tourists unaccustomed to tipping, but it can just as easily sucker the unsuspecting. So be sure to check before adding another tip onto the total.

For nuanced continental fare at prices that won’t break the budget, the IceBox Café (1657 Michigan off Lincoln, 305-538-8448) has a bakery counter heaving with sinful brownies and cakes, as well as a changing gourmet menu with highlights like Kobe beef burgers, grilled seafood, and chicken paillard, and a power brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 4. At the independent intellectual mainstay Books & Books Café (932 Lincoln, 305-532-3222), you can peruse picture books and magazines over paninis, salads, couscous, or entrees like the Argentine steak with a fine version of the garlic-and-parsley chimichurri sauce.

Espanola Way and on Toward the Beach
Just a few blocks south of Lincoln Road, the parallel but more intimate pedestrian stretch Espanola Way brings to mind South Florida’s Spanish settlers with its charming villa-styled low-rises which now house shops and restaurants. Get into the spirit with tapas, sangria, and salsa lessons at the appropriately-themed Tapas y Tintos (448 Espanola Way, 305-538-8272). On weekend evenings, local craftspeople sell jewelry, knits, and knickknacks at tables along the sidewalks, and the salon-style Miami Beach Cinematheque screens classics, documentaries, and homegrown productions. During Art Basel, the cinematheque will showcase international video and performance art.

The pedestrian section of Espanola ends at Washington Avenue, but if you continue across 14th Street toward the beach, you will come across Mac’s Club Deuce (305-531-6200), a seedy-chic juke joint already discovered by Art Basel night owls. If you get hungry anytime before 5 a.m., shift to a stool across the street at the open-air countertop of La Sandwicherie (305-532-8934), where the baguettes are overstuffed to order with your choice of fillings from prosciutto to salmon to grilled vegetables. Washington is the nightclub-studded stretch that runs north-south parallel to Collins Avenue, Miami Beach’s famed boulevard of storied hotels.

Collins Ave.
Before entering Flow at the Dorset (1720 Collins), Bridge at the Catalina (1732 Collins), or Ink at the Dorchester (1850 Collins), take a moment to admire the whimsical flourishes and finials of their tropical Art Deco exteriors. Nestled on James Avenue between Washington and Collins in the upper teens, Sanctuary South Beach (1745 James Avenue, 305-673-5455) opened two years ago as a boutique condo hotel with mini efficiencies that open into a courtyard. At Ola, off the lobby, Chef Douglas Rodriquez brings his Nuevo Latino flair to oysters, ceviches, empanadas, tropical seafood, and rustic meats; cap your meal with a breezy mojito on the rooftop bar.